Heney touts benefits of ship purchases

An announcement that the Canadian Wheat Board is purchasing new ships is good news for Thunder Bay. That's according to Port Authority CEO Tim Heney. He says given that the life of the lakers is about 45 years, it's a sign that there is confidence in the seaway system which we are a part of.   He says it's a major investment and adds this is the first vessel purchase for the Wheat Board.

McGuinty to visit next week

Premier Dalton McGuinty is coming to Thunder Bay.   Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson says the premier will be speaking at a luncheon at the Italian Hall Thursday. It will be McGuinty's first visit to the city this election year.

Rafferty motion aims to boost firefighter funding

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty says he wants to protect volunteer fire departments.  Rafferty introduced a motion in the House of Commons this week calling on the Federal Government to work with the province and municipal governments to ensure they are properly funded.  The NDP member says the motion stems from several constituents who raised the issue to him over the years.

Traffic stop leads to Oxy bust

OPP believe they may have stopped another shipment of Oxycontin headed for northern First Nations.   They say a highway traffic stop near Raith netted a quantity of Oxy's they say could fetch up to 45 thousand dollars in some northern areas.  Two Sioux Lookout residents are charged.

Dugmore says micro-managing may be tough

The waterfront manager says she has no problem working with the City Manager on the project.  The mayor has told Tim Commisso to micro-manage the development.    But waterfront boss Katherine Dugmore suggests that could be challenging.  She says that would come down to doing her job and she doesn't believe that was the intent.  Dugmore says in spite of the 8.6 million dollar cost overrun she would not do things differently.       

   
   
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Fort William signs Solar Park deal

Sky Power has signed a deal with Fort William First Nation to create a 10 megawatt solar park.  100 jobs will be created from the construction.  The park will be located on the south bank of the Kam River.  Chief Peter Collins says power generated will be used locally through the area power grid.  Construction will start this summer.

Thunder Bay's Future is Now

Mayor Keith Hobbs gave his first State of the City address and points to economic growth, community safety and building partnerships as priorities.  Hobbs says he wants to build the city's population base to 150 thousand people to help increase the tax base and make balancing the budget easier.  Hobbs says people in Thunder Bay can't afford any more increases in their property taxes.  He says one possible way to keep taxes down and tackle the rising infrastructure deficit could be to use the city's reserve funds to cover some of the infrastructure needs.  Hobbs also says developing a community policing plan would go a long way towards making the city's streets safer.  Another important issue according to the Mayor is the importance of building relationships with our neighbours especially the First Nations.  Hobbs says Thunder Bay could one day become a First Nations Community and we need to work together to ensure a prosperous future.

Cat scratch fever in the ER

Two men had to spend the night in jail after they refused to leave the ER at the Health Sciences Centre.  Police say earlier in the evening they had been drinking and thought it would be interesting to introduce their two pet cats.  That turned into a fight between the two felines which resulted in each man getting clawed up on their face and hands.  At the hospital police say they became unruly and one of them even had a fight with security.

Police look for missing boy

Thunder Bay police are once again looking for a missing teen.  15 year old Jordon Wabasse was last seen in the Victoriaville area Monday.  He is described as 6 foot one and around 200 pounds.